Formula 1 rookie Marcus Ericsson to go on a diet

Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson has started his debut Formula 1 season by going on a diet. Ericsson, driving for the Caterham team in 2014, revealed that his engineers have challenged him to lose weight before the new season, for the benefit of the car, report GrandPrix.com.

"“They haven’t said I need to be any particular weight, but I’ll go down as much as I can, ensuring I can still race for two hours.”"

Per GrandPrix.com, Eurosport Sweden are reporting that Ericsson, 5-11, 152 lbs, has entered a programme with a specialist clinic in Italy known for helping drivers lose weight.

"“We will work closely making sure I am at the right level, as you still need the highest concentration for two hours. It is extremely hot and with high G-forces, so it’s impossible to be a skeleton. I won’t be eating burgers for lunch and dinner but I still need to eat, because I train hard every day.”"

One of the reasons for Ericsson’s need to lose weight is that while the technology required for the cars to meet regulations mean they are heavier than in previous years, the minimum weight-limit has not changed, ensuring heavier drivers are impacted and slowed down purely because of their size.

"“It’s a shame the FIA and F1 can’t just make a decision and increase the weight by 10kg. Then it wouldn’t be a big deal and everyone would have the same opportunities. But what can you do? I can’t chop off a leg. Three kilos is a tenth per lap in this game, and my teammate (Kamui Kobayashi) is 7 or 8kg lighter than me.”"

It’s not as if someone of Ericsson’s size is exactly hefty, is it?